Kirk's Story
by Ash-Wood95
Summary: Kirk is just a simple man living in a simple lodge. For the last ten years he has lived a solitary life, away from people and as many infected as possible. That is until Two strangers run into him and they change everything. Kirk ends up going on a journey; Metaphorically and physically. He hopes he can find redemption on this journey, but Why does he need it?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N This is my first fanfiction, so any critique or opinions would be appreciated. This idea was originally mine, but it has now become a collaboration between me an another writer. That is all for now, I hope you enjoy.**

** Chapter 1**

Kirk was sitting in his battered old lounge chair reading a book; Cell by Stephen King. It had been his favourite book since way before the cordyceps hit. It also became the one constant since the fateful event that occurred twenty years previously. If he ever had to pack up and leave a place, as he so frequently did for the first couple of years, he not only ensured he had food and water as well as something to protect himself with, but he also made sure that he had the book in his backpack. The orange cover was still in a good condition, surprisingly so considering its years of use.

But for the last Ten or so years he hasn't needed to use his backpack to quite the extent as he did before. This was because he had been holed up in a tiny secluded lodge in the middle of the woods. Probably the longest anyone he ever knew has managed to stay in one place without a larger quantity of people high enough to be classed as a small army for protection.

As for the book, it was no longer just his favourite book. It was also the book that he found related to the world the way it was now. After all, both the book and the world are filled with people that are infected and people that are crazy.

Kirk closed the book and stood up, stretching his arms out before walking over to a large set of shelves big enough to almost stretch the length of the room. It was stacked from floor to ceiling and each shelf had books filling it to the brink. Seeing as Kirk lived a life of solitary his large book collection has served as a big part of his life. The drama and events served as his only form of entertainment and the characters his only form of companionship. He took a moment to look over the whole collection, thinking of his life and his connection to these items. Not only did they serve as entertainment and companionship, but they served as mental excercise. He ensured he read every day, at least a couple hours minimum but more if he could. He stood in place with his eyes scanning along the rows until he finally lifted his arm to put Cell back in its place.

Once the book was back on the shelf he walked over to the windows and drew the curtains aside. The curtains had a pattern on them, likely flowers, but thick dust and grime made the pattern barely visible any more. He would have cleaned them but thanks to the condition they were in, they helped to make it look like no one had lived there in years. As he looked outside he saw that it was very close to becoming nightfall. While most people would see this as a huge risk, which it could very well be, he saw it as the best time. Things were quieter at night around where he has spent the last ten years. It meant he could hear just about anything if he listened to his surroundings, as he always did. It also meant he could almost be invisible to his prey of the night. But mostly, he found it peaceful. The calm nature of the forrest and the beauty of the trees, along with the smell of the leaves and grass; it all captivated him and let him feel "Normal". He could see the last of the day's light receeding through the tree line and instantly knew tonight would be a dark one indeed.

He stepped back from the window and let the curtains close once again before he moved over to a large cabinet on the other side of the room, opposite his book shelf, and looked at its contents. He had put it to use as an "armory" of sorts.

On it lay a small backpack, green in colour and with plenty of frayed or torn pieces of fabric. He picked it up and started packing provisions such as water and a single, small pack of food chunks. Finally he added in some animal bait and then lifted it over and along his arms before tightening the straps.

The weapons laid out were all put into categories and placements allowing him to pick which weapons he wanted based on which he found suitable for the situation. Lying down on the flat surface was a bow, mostly wooden but shaped as a recurve bow to assist his aim. He picked up the bow and tested the tension, ensuring it would fire an arrow as best it could. Hanging on the wall was a quiver full of arrows and next to it hung a Semi-automatic rifle followed by a scoped hunting rifle. He removed an arrow from the quiver, notched it and pulled the string back, getting the feel for the weight in combination with the tension. "Perfect" he said to himself and put both the bow and quiver over his head to rest upon his backpack.

He also opened a draw in the cabinet which contained a couple hand guns and a revolver. He picked up one of the two handguns and checked the clip; full except for one bullet. He stashed the gun in a holster and clipped it to his waist, it would only be for if something happened and if he needed something quick to fire with.

With his weapons ready and his pack filled with the necessities he had everything he needed and approached, unlocked and opened the front door, revealing the world beyond. He gazed upon the beautiful greenery beyond his doorway and felt the cool air hit him instantly. He wanted to close his eyes and and relax as it brushed across his skin gently, but knew doing such a thing would make him an open target to anyone or anything nearby.

Finally he stepped out, closed the door and locked it once again.

Before taking the first step to go onwards he declared openly to himself

"Time to go hunting!"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N - Okay, so Chapter 1 served as an introduction to the character, though you'll learn more about him and his past as we go along. This chapter holds a bit more action within it though.**

**As before, I hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer - I do not own anything about The Last of Us other than my OCs.**

**Chapter 2**

The night was as silent as ever. Only the sounds of the leaves bustling in the slow, cool breeze were present. This cold air allowed Kirk to see the presence of his breath in front of him as he waited patiently. His eyes were trained on his prey; a small Hare. Not much but it would be enough to feed him for a night, maybe two if he rationed it like he normally did. His eyes never left the Hare as he lifted his bow over his head. The bow shifted into his left hand whilst his right moved to draw an arrow. This was all through muscle memory as Kirk had done this precise action so many times that if this were a time before the cordyceps hit he could have been deemed a professional archer. He notched the arrow and lined up his shot before pulling the bow back as tightly as he could. His grip tightened around the smooth, wooden texture of the bow. Slowly and calmly he exhaled and the tension built in his arm as he held his posture and aim almost perfectly.

Upon the final inch of breath he released the arrow and it soared through the air at immense speed before it ended by striking the hare in it's side. The small animal collapsed lifeless without a sound. It actually made Kirk sad to see such a thing happen to a small animal such as that but he had to do it. He slightly recalled the first time he had to do that, it wasn't even until nearly three years after the Cordyceps that he made his first kill. Swiftly he pushed the memory from his mind, not wanting to cast his mind back to those times.

Kirk put his bow away and retrieved the arrow before tying the hare in a knot and fixing it to his belt where it dangled and swung from side to side before settling agains his thigh. He took a few more seconds to appreciate the beauty and to silently give thanks for the food and to give a prayer for the hare's soul. He wasn't particularly religious, in fact he was agnostic, but he still prayed for the soul of the innocent hare nonetheless.

Just as he went to leave a scream boomed through the forrest, resonating off of the trees. He twirled in circles rapidly trying to see where it was coming from but he could not locate the source at all.

On his fifth full turn a woman came into view, almost bumping into Kirk but instead she halted herself by grasping the tree. She wore a dirty denim coat with a grey T-shirt underneath and some black cargo trousers. A small blue backpack was held in the hand not currently clinging to the tree. The bag itself looked light as if barely anything would be found inside if it were opened. She stared in a ghastly manner at Kirk, almost pleading for help without saying a word. Kirk just stood still with his hand at the ready to go for his gun. In the next instant a man came into view. He also had a denim coat on but his shirt was a faded combo of green and yellow. Some red trailed down the middle of it, evidently blood. Who's blood it was didn't matter currently however. He too had some cargo pants but these just like his shirt were a faded colour, though they had once been camouflage with predominant green. He halted just as the woman had, but not by holding onto anything. Instead he just froze on the spot the second he saw Kirk.

Both the man's and woman's eyes were fixated on Kirk as if surprised to see another person. But Kirk's eyes glanced repeatedly back and forth between them. None of them knew what to do. The man and woman because they were too scared and Kirk because he had not seen people in at least ten years. Eventually the silence was disturbed as horrid, gruesome shrieks lurched through the forrest; infected. Kirk turned on his axis as quick as he could and broke into a sprint headed for his lodge. The couple originally were still frozen in place but soon enough they too moved to run, on the same track as Kirk.

Kirk weaved in between and around the trees as fast and as silent as possible. The couple were not too far behind, but with the speed that Kirk was going at the distance was growing quickly. The couple were also noisier than Kirk, thus easily attracting the attention of the infected. Kirk kept the pace up and ensured the distance between him and them grew even more, but soon enough the outline of the lodge came into view. This was when he gave his final push, his leg muscles now beginning to feel the strain he was putting on them as he forcibly propelled himself forward.

By the time Kirk reached his front door he was breathing heavily. He hadn't had to run that fast for some time! He fumbled with the door but pried it open and slammed it shut. He threw his pack down along with his bow and began putting up boards onto the door and windows.

Soon enough the boards were in place and he moved backwards, taking out his gun to be ready just in case. For a small while which, thanks to the adrenaline coursing through him, actually felt like an hour at the very least there was nothing but silence. Kirk thought he had imagined the whole thing, until a loud bang came as something or someone collided with the door. Kirk raised his gun, prepared to fire if the unlikelihood of someone getting through that door happened. He decided it had to just be an infected but that thought was taken over when he heard the scared voices of the couple. "Let us in, let us in!" the man demanded hurriedly,

"Please, you must help" the woman pleaded with a terrified tone to her voice. Kirk remained still despite the petrifying noises coming from behind the couple which were evidently getting closer. Kirk had the perfect chance to help but he was reluctant. "_I don't know these people! I don't have to rescue them! They're not my problem_" he thought to himself, trying to convince himself he didn't have to do anything to assist the couple.

They continued to bang the door relentlessly and scream at Kirk for him to let them in, until they moved away quickly due to infected having gotten much closer. Their sounds grew quieter as they moved further away but he could still hear their screams.

"They're not my problem! They're not my problem!" He kept saying to himself over and over with his head against the door. "Fuck!" He cursed almost angrily as his head promptly launched upwards. Kirk quickly grabbed his rifle off his weapons unit and took down the barricade on his door. The door put up some resistance, as if it somehow agreed with his initial assessment. But Kirk was too stubborn to pay attention to such a thing. Soon enough it swung open and he yelled out to the couple "Get your asses here now if you want to live!" He howled at the top of his voice and then aimed his rifle at the couple's pursuers, he noted three runners and two clickers. Taking a moment to line up the shot also gave time for the couple to stop and notice what Kirk was up to. He fired a bullet which pierced the head of a runner with great velocity, taking it to the ground heavily even from this distance. He always was a great marksman.

The couple turned round and whilst the infected were distracted by the sound of the gun the couple slipped past and began heading for the lodge. From the second they began their run the infected soon followed so Kirk once again raised his weapon, aiming for a clicker "Come on you sons of bitches" he whispered to himself.

He used a few more seconds to line up the shot and then he pulled the trigger "BANG!"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N In this Chapter we have the first of flashbacks, which will be used as a tool to show you how Kirk changes to the man he is Twenty Years after the Cordyceps first broke out. You'll also find that a certain character you'll recognise can be found here too. **

**As usual I hope you enjoy this Chapter, and thank you for reading.**

**Disclaimer - I do not own The Last of Us or any trademarks or properties, other than my own OCs of course.**

**Chapter 3**

Two Years after the Cordyceps hit:

Kirk ran through the woods as fast as he could, by his side were two other people. Both of them were women and neither were infected, but all three were running from Runners. Ironically one of the "Runners" was dressed up on a tracksuit and a medallion hung around their neck, displaying their feat at the 500m sprint. At any other time Kirk would have felt the need to make a crack about a "Running Runner" or something like that, but in this moment all he felt was fear. The fear was for his own life, but also for the life of his dear friend, and his love.

They maintained a distance far enough from the infected to not be grabbed or attacked, but they had to keep going nevertheless. All three of them were tired however. All they wanted was to stop and rest. That was all they had wanted for the past two years. Since the government failed them and bandits moved through the cities, Kirk and his companions had lived in the woods for Two whole years. But they had never stayed in one place. This was in part because they had never found anywhere safe enough to do that and in part because they wouldn't know how to set up a safe place in the woods. They had grown accustomed to being surrounded by wildlife, but they longed for civilisation. Yet to them, there was no civilisation to be found. Until they heard the sound of a rifle booming and bouncing off of the trees. Kirk fell back in shock, it had been too long since he heard a gun shot. Terror struck his heart and he found himself motionless, and for a second, just a second, he truly thought his end had come.

He was brought back to reality as another shot rang out, causing him to spring to his feet. Or at least try to as he he clumsily stumbled and almost fell back again. One of the two women, who had darker skin and brunette hair, supported him and lifted him back up before she pushed him on almost harshly. As they progressed he began to realise that almost no noise emanated from behind them. The only exception to this was the remnants of their own feet clashing against the ground and digging the dirt up as they lifted once again. Kirk came to a sudden halt, almost causing the woman behind him, the one he loved so dearly with her long red hair and paler skin, to almost crash into him. He turned just as quick and his eyes lurched open at the empty forrest.

"Where are they?" He asked still as scared as he was when they were chasing him, if not more. Infected didn't just disappear.

"Dead! And you are alive! Thanks to us" came a deep voice from behind Kirk. Once again he turned and saw a muscly man a few feet in front of him. He was surprisingly silent for a man of his size. He had managed to get this close to him and his companions without any of them hearing. He was at least as big as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, if not bigger. It was kind of intimidating, at least for Kirk. The man had two other people, one on either side, also carrying rifles. One had a carbine rifle, no scope, and the other had a semi-automatic rifle with a scope. The muscled man himself held a pump action shotgun, that looked like it was Police standard issue.

Kirk took a step back, as did his love but the other woman stood her ground. "Who are you?" She demanded to know, with a strong demeanour

"The one who just saved your lives, so show a little respect!" The big man growled back at her ferociously.

"Now just..." She began to argue with the same strong demeanour until Kirk stepped forward, still partially afraid "Marlene stop!" He said to stop an argument from breaking out. " We're sorry, it...it's just we haven't seen other people in a long time." Kirk explained to the big brute of a man.

The big man looked all three of them over, his eyes looking slightly annoyed upon coming across the woman who spoke brashly against him, with intrigue as they fell upon Kirk but they lingered as he looked at Kirk's love. Kirk did not feel at all comfortable with how long it took him to move his eyes away. If Kirk had been a fighting man and they were not under threat of death at every given moment he was certain he would have punched this man right then and there, no matter the size of his opponent.

The big man considered them all for a while then spoke once more.

"My name is Augustus, but people call me Gus! No offence, but you look like shit." He stated rather brashly "So, I want you to follow me and my comrades here, we'll take you back to our settlement. Its nothing special but its the best place you'll see for miles around". Gus then whispered to both men who were next to him whilst Kirk and co. looked at each other in contemplation. Marlene thought to herself about why this man would offer three strangers in the woods residence in their place of safety. Kirk and the other woman however, were not going to pass up this chance, despite the fact that Marlene was suspicious.

Kirk eventually approached Gus and it became evident how tall he really was. Kirk was fairly tall, standing at a reasonable 5"11 but Gus was much taller. More like 6"11 if not more. "We'll follow you" he said trying to calm his voice and only partially succeeding. Gus looked at Kirk and grinned, showing that he had a missing tooth of the front-left side on the top row. "Well then, let's get going". Rapidly Gus turned 180 degrees and started to walk off, while the other two men followed without order. It was like they were soldiers and had done this march many times over. Kirk stood still for a moment and it was only when Marlene begrudgingly spoke up that they all moved to follow "Come on then, if we're going we don't want to lose our guides" she said slapping Kirk's back to shock him into walking. Soon all three followed, but to where they were headed or what they were going to see they did not know.

Yet still, they followed.

Kirk woke with a startle as he remembered the events from years earlier. He stared at the oppsite wall in his bedroom as he tried to calm down, a strong pang of guilt washed over him and he was almost petrified in place because of it. Several drops of sweat streamed down his face, one lingered at the corner of his mouth. The line it had taken started from his eye however, and when Kirk licked the single drop at the corner of his mouth he deduced it was in fact a tear. The memory had in a way been to hard to remember and thus he had been the victim of cold sweats and a strong attack of guilt. But the tear was new, or at least it hadn't happened in a few years at least. So why did it happen now? Kirk swerved himself round to the side of the bed and stood up before he stretched. He used this excercise to clear his ind as best he could, but instesd the topc just shifted.

It had been a couple days since he rescued the couple, now known to him as Erik and Kira. He agreed to let them stay here for safety reasons, though even he did not know if he meant temporarily or indefinitely. He had given them food, shelter and protection. He could see they would want to stay, the question is; Would he let them?

After taking the time to adjust from the nightmare he got dressed and entered the main part of the lodge. Erik was in the kitchen trying to prepare a meal from a can, Kirk suspected it was most likely either corn or peaches, or perhaps tomatoes. They were what he had the most of so he figured it would likely be one of them. As Kirk entered Erik looked up at him and smilled "Mornin'" he said cheerily, like there was not a care in the world.

Kirk simply nodded at him and he walked through to the lounge where Kira sat on one side of the slightly worn brown couch. She had a book in her hands and she was so focused on it she didn't realise Kirk had walked in. The book was NOS 4R2, pronounced Nosferatu, by Joe Hill the son of Stephen King. The original protective cover was near shredded but the title still clearly stood out. Kirk stood on the spot and looked between Kira and Erik and began to wonder how people could become so comfortable to this so quickly. It took him months, if not years to get used to this place.

The next thought that popped into his head was "So what's going to happen next?"


	4. Chapter 4

******In this Chapter there is not much action, but we get to see a bit more of a personal interaction with the characters. This includes some slight information within Kirk's own thoughts. **

******I hope you enjoy this Chapter and if you wish to review for any reason, be it praise or critique it is welcome. Thank you for reading.**

******Disclaimer - I do not own The Last of Us or any trademarks or properties, other than my own OCs of course.**

**Chapter 4**

Kirk sat in his battered old chair once again, this time with a bowl of food in his hands. He ate slowly whilst Kira and Erik, who were sat on the sofa across from him, almost scoffed it enthusiastically. He had to admit, this was some damn fine cooking considering the resources. All the food he had made for years had never been as nice as this. But that was not at the forefront of his mind. Instead he was still thinking about what to do with them. Should he let them stay? Tell them to go? He didn't know. He disliked people being here because it felt uncomfortable for him. Years away from people had turned him into a serious recluse, but at the same time some moral compass he didn't know he still had was telling him to let them stay.

On multiple occasions they had tried talking to him but he didn't reciprocate the enthusiasm for communication. He thought of it as "unnecessary, idle chit chat". Yet still they tried. They still talked to each other regardless however, and at night Kirk could hear them whispering about him. He could hear because he was so tuned into the sound of, or often lack of, nature that the new sound of human voices was alien to him.

Kirk chomped away at his food and just like he thought it would be, it was corn. But Erik had managed to mix it with a couple other ingredients from the kitchen to somehow make it tastier and less bland. Kirk knew not how but for now he did not care. As he continued to eat Erik and Kira kept passing glances between each other and Kirk, thinking he didn't notice. Eventually Kira nudged Erik gently and nodded, indicating for him to try talking to Kirk once more. He shrugged, thinking to himself it would not work but decided he would do it anyway.

"So, Kirk, how you liking the food?" He asked

An awkward silence was all that seemed to fill the room in that moment but Erik tried again "Kirk? Is something wrong?"

Kirk looked directly at Erik, which slightly made him uneasy as Kirk did so without blinking. "How do you do it?" He asked randomly with no topic specified.

"Do what?" Erik replied back quizzically

Kirk obviously knew what he meant, _"How do you become so accustomed to this after so short a time?"_ He thought to himself. In that moment as he went to ask the question in full he felt a slight hint of sadness wash over him. But just as he had many times before he pushed the emotion and thought back, not wanting to deal with it.

So instead he ignored Erik's question, went back to his food and made another question of his own "How long do you intend to stay here?". This came across in a very near harsh tone as he tried to make himself look less vulnerable just in case his moment of unease made them think he was weak.

Erik and Kira looked at each other with puzzlement and then back at Kirk "Well, we don't know?" Kira replied after a few seconds of pause to think of an answer. "Honestly, we haven't thought about it. We just needed to get away from those infected". The tone to her voice was evidently shock at the topic, but upon her reply she realised it had to come up sooner or later. It was only natural for someone to wonder how long some strangers would spend within the walls of their home. Through the evident shock however, she tried to mask the real answer.

Kirk could tell by her voice as she replied that she was lying. He didn't know her too well, but he could instantly see that she was concealing something from him. He knew he could not be one to push on someone else's matters, for now at least, so he did not express that he knew. He finished his food and got up "Well, don't get too comfortable staying here!"

After walking away without an extra word about it both Erik and Kira were now wondering to themselves and fearing that Kirk was going to throw them out to be left to the outside world once more.

A few days passed and none of them left the lodge. Each day was filled with similar awkward silences as the thought of Kirk banishing them both lingered in their minds.

A total of a week after Kirk allowed Erik and Kira into the lodge and he was preparing to go on another hunt. Once again in the night, with just as much a brisk, cold air as when they all first encountered. He walked through to the front part of the house, where both Erik and Kira were deep in conversation. Kirk could hear what they were saying but their words were going in one ear and out the other. One thing he did register however was their reactions to each other, how they laughed at some small joke or comment. How they grinned from just talking to each other. It was the first time Kirk noticed them in this light; as lovers.

Seeing them made him pause and think back to before the cordyceps. A picture started to form in his mind of a time when he was truly happy with his life. In the picture he was outside a rather large house, with two floors. In the driveway was a rather expensive sedan, and he stood next to it in a casual but impressionable suit with a large folder meant for pieces of A3 paper under his arm. In the doorway to the house was the beautiful, red headed woman who at the time was his fiancé. He would soon have been on his way to work, and at the end of the day he would come back to a lovely meal ready and waiting for him. Some people may have called it "cliché" but to him it was perfect, until it all changed in late 2013.

He couldn't stop the memories and thoughts hitting him this time, so they began to almost overflow.

"Too much, I can't remember, I WON't remember!" His words raged in his head impotently, on and on until Erik shocked him out of it.

Eriks hand landed on Kirk's shoulder with such a thud that Kirk actually shuddered, Erik took a step back with his arms slightly raised and out from his body. "You okay?" He asked as he backed up even more.

Kirk regained his posture and firmly expressed aloud how he was, or believed himself to be at least "Fine! I have to go hunting now". He then started to prepare his pack with gear and food.

Erik turned slightly, looked at Kira with a raised eyebrow and then motioned to stop Kirk momentarily, along with asking "Look, let me come with you?". Kirk paused and turned his head so he saw Erik in his peripheral vision "I just mean as someone to watch your back. You don't gotta give me a gun or nothin'. Besides, it'd be a way I could help repay you for lettin' us stay as long as you did". The sudden slang version of words coming from Erik's mouth was a strange presence in the room, as so far Erik had spoken clearly and fairly with proper pronunciation to every word most of the time. Only a rare, singular word sometimes had a chance of being mispronounced with Erik. But regardless, it did not garner any mention from any of them.

Kirk just remained looking at Erik, with his emotions now in check. Part of him was telling him to just say no outright, in fact it was screaming to him that he should be sensible and just go by himself. After all, he didn't know Erik or what he was actually capable of. Yet for some reason, against better judgement Kirk nodded and agreed. But all he said to voice it was "Do not make me regret it!"

Erik let out a slight sigh whilst Kirk finished with his pack and also grabbed a gun and his bow just like before. He didn't get a weapon for Erik at all however.

After taking enough time to ensure he had what he needed he routinely approached the door like last time. Except this was different. It wasn't just that he was taking someone with him, but he was also leaving someone in his household. He turned slowly on the spot to look at Erik "You do as I say, when I say it! You get that?!" He didn't wait for an answer however, somehow Kirk knew that Erik understood it was an all or nothing situation. Kirk's eyes shifted over to Kira "And you! I know where everything is in this house, and I mean everything. So, if anything is missing or out of place when I get back you're both out of here" he stated very sternly.

All three of them remained as they were for thirty odd seconds until Kirk knew that both of them understood his orders. Appeased that his instructions were clear he swiftly turned back to the door and unlocked it.

"Let's do this then" Erik stated, as he followed Kirk out the door after having blew Kira a kiss which he hoped would not be the last.


End file.
